A/N I love Minsung so much so I wanted to write this. It will be a slow burn but I just adore this ship so much and love the two guys. This is complete fiction and is only my imaginations of how things could have happened. If you want to be updated when I update any of my stories, feel free to follow _eyes_wideshut on twitter. Enjoy!
Love built over time, isn't that what people said? Love didn't smack you over the head right from the beginning. Some people talked about love at first sight but that was just infatuation. Love was a sneaky bitch. It got under your skin and took its time. Lulling you into a false sense of security. It wormed its way deeper into your heart so painfully slow that you didn't even notice until it was too late.
So when Jisung first saw Minho he had a selfish thought. He knew he wasn't the most attractive one in the group anymore. Granted he had seen that guy Hyunjin but they didn't get along so well so he tended to ignore the other man and no one would ever compete with Felix whose smile made you forgive him anything. But Minho on the other hand, was stunningly gorgeous and also mysterious at the same time. He stayed stone faced through their introduction and Jisung didn't know what to make of that. Whatever it was, it wasn't love, nor even infatuation. There was a vague jealousy and an interest in making the other man crack. He was entirely too stone faced.
Jisung needled him some, trying to get him to crack, but he never did. He took a liking to Minho. Their own tsundere. Minho took care of everyone but did it so quietly, it was hard to notice. Jisung only did because he watched Minho so much, trying hard to figure the other man out. It was fun trying to guess how he was going to react to things just to see if he was right. He rarely was at first but that made it interesting. Minho exuded this incredible confidence that contrasted entirely with a man afraid of heights and nervous about his rap flows. Jisung often was caught watching him but he didn't mean anything by it. Minho was just absolutely fascinating to him. The more time they spent together, the closer they grew. Minho seemed to accept his fascination without comment.
Their relationship was mostly a quiet watching game until the day Jisung had had a particularly bad day and Minho kidnapped him, or at least that was what Jisung would later call it, jokingly. They had all left the rehearsal studio and Jisung was fighting back tears as his emotions of the day overtook him, mixed with exhaustion and hunger and Jisung was a bit of a mess. They waited for their ride back to the dorms when Minho yanked him over to a taxi and pushed him in before following. He gave the destination to the driver and acted as if this were something they had discussed.
Jisung looked at him suspiciously. "I''ve been dying to try this place." Minho said by way of explanation. "And you said you didn't have plans when Jeongin asked so I brought you along." He gave Jisung a bored look as if he kidnapped people everyday. But Jisung saw a flash of fear in the man's eyes that surprised him, knowing his friend was afraid he wouldn't want to spend time with him, Jisung was touched.. Minho was afraid he'd be angry. Jisung didn't know what that little crack of fear did but it changed the whole way he saw Minho.
He smiled at the other man to show he trusted him. He watched out the window as they rode and when they arrived they were seated and he looked at the menu in confusion. He was too tired to think. Minho's hand covered his menu briefly and Jisung looked over at him curiously. "I can order for us." Minho offered and Jisung thought for a moment and then nodded.
"Just nothing too spicy." Jisung said and Minho nodded. He was honestly relieved to have the choice taken away. He was exhausted and had just had such a crappy day that having Minho take the lead and responsibility of making the choices relieved him of a small burden but enabled him to relax.
Jisung zoned out while Minho ordered for them. When the meat was delivered, he reached for it but Minho gently smacked his hand and started cooking the meat. Once he had the meat on the grill, he dished up some of the rice and sides and put the plate in front of Jisung and nodded to indicate Jisung should start eating.
The younger man did though he watched Minho out of the corner of his eye and was surprised when the older man finished cooking the pork belly and put it all on Jisungs plate before cooking the next batch. Once all the cooking was done, they ate quietly, and Jisung was finally able to completely relax and let go of the stress of the day. He noticed as he relaxed, Minho got a soft smile watching him. Jisung gave him a real smile and reached over to squeeze his hand gently. Minho looked at their hands and then back up at Jisung before squeezing back and smiling.
Jisung looked for a way to repay Minho for the relaxation over the next few days and found his spot when his friend was struggling to get the flow of his raps correct. He walked over and took Minho's hand and pulled him away from the group. "You are just losing the beat." He said softly. "Try this. I will squeeze your hand to the beat and you follow that." Minho raised an eyebrow, everyone knew he didn't particularly like being touched but he would endure it if it would help. Finally he nodded. Jisung signaled to Chan who started the music over. He focused on the hand squeezing his lightly and rhythmically. When it was time for his part, he paid attention to those squeezes and it helped immensely. He looked up in surprise and gratitude at the end and the rest of the guys cheered. Jisung pulled his hand away and for a moment, Minho thought about reclaiming it but didn't.
It became a habit that when he was struggling with his flow, Jisung would take his hand and help him with it. It also became a habit that the two would hang out a lot. The others seemed to accept that Minho didn't like to be touched and for the most part they left him alone. Jisung didn't seem to care and frequently would hug Minho, always letting go quickly but still making the effort. Minho found that he didn't mind as much when Jisung did it. When it came time for a performance in front of their boss, Minho got extremely nervous but when he was standing up there on the stage with the rest of them, he felt Jisung take his hand and his nerves settled. He could do this.
In the confessional he talked about that moment and how it felt and that he worried that without Jisung's hand, he could not do as well. Occasionally, very occasionally Minho would pulled Jisung in and cuddle him and they sat together. Their whole group was cuddly so Jisung never minded, always assuming Minho needed the touch and wasn't willing to ask the others. Jisung never cared so it was easy for him to give Minho that bit of comfort. If asked, either of them would have instantly said the other was their best friend.
When Minho was eliminated, Jisung was crushed. He tipped his hat down to hide his eyes and the tears that fell. The heart went out of him for a while. The whole group felt the loss and then it got even worse when Felix was eliminated. Though he and Hyunjin hadn't gotten along very well, he noticed the other man looking the way he looked and he realized that Hyunjin had gotten close to Felix the way he had to Minho. It started the two of them on a different path. They started to become friends. It was still hard though. Felix had been the heart of their group and Minho had been the quiet protector. Though the others hadn't seen it the way he had but now that Minho wasn't here, they felt the loss. He and Hyunjin talked a bit about how much they were missing their friends but really they just spent time together.
When their boss came in and brought up Minho and Felix, his head shot up. Then as if nothing had happened, the two men came in. Minho looked directly at Jisung and smiled. Jisung smiled back. He felt strangely buoyant again but he didn't want to just jump on Minho so instead he embraced Felix, letting the others jump all over Minho. When they were done, he finally hugged Minho and felt his body relax for the first time since his hyung had been cut. He and Minho went out for dinner that night. They didn't talk about the situation; they talked about the food, their lives and interests and the anime they had been watching. Even though the practicing was going to be hard and grueling, the two decided to watch a movie together that night. They curled up in Jisung's bed and put on a horror movie. Jisung kept stealing glances at Minho, just happy he was here. Their position put their hands close together and Jisung felt the occasional brush of fingers against his own. He looked over and catching Minho's eyes he laced their fingers together. Minho ducked his head down, but Jisung could see the smile.
"Hyung," He started softly and Minho looked at him curiously. "I don't mind being touched but I know you aren't as comfortable so anytime you want to touch me, you can." Jisung said, hoping that Minho understood this was his way of giving permission for Minho to take comfort from him.
His friend seemed to understand and scooted closer, putting his arm around Jisung's waist lightly. When all Jisung did was smile at him, he smiled back and got more comfortable and settled to watch the movie.
The group worked very hard, Felix and Minho more than anyone. They were all determined they would debut as 9. They practiced choreography and singing for hours. They attended lessons and fell into bed exhausted every night. Even with all that, Jisung and Minho found time to quietly talk and help each other. They began to open up about their hopes and dreams, their fears and their worries. They were together so often that it became a habit that if one couldn't be found the other members would look for the other knowing they would likely be together.
When they gave their performance Jisung was on the edge of his seat but once it was announced they would debut as 9 Jisung ran over and hugged Minho. That night Minho grabbed him again and stuffed him into a cab. When Jisung gave him a bemused smile, Minho shrugged. "Celebration." He finally answered. Jisung smiled and nodded. They got to the restaurant he had chosen and were seated. Minho ordered for them again and they ordered soju to celebrate. After they drank a shot of soju Jisung looked across the table, ducking his head slightly to hide his eyes behind his bangs.
"I missed you." Jisung admitted.
"I missed you too." Minho answered back with his own shy smile. "Can we do a movie night tonight?" He had missed their time together. He had missed his best friend.
"Yes." Jisung grinned.
"Sungie, why did you push so hard to be friends with me?" Minho asked curiously. "No one ever tried that hard."
Jisung blushed a bit and bit his lip. "You intrigued me." He finally admitted.
"You intrigued me too." Minho admitted back. Jisung gave him a beautiful yet shy smile.
They ate their fill of dinner and more than a little soju. They stumbled out of the restaurant, arms around each other and caught a cab back to the dorms. The others appeared to have celebrated as well and several were curled up asleep together. Minho pulled blankets over them while Jisung stood in the doorway. Then Minho took his hand and led him to his bed. He pulled out his computer and handed earbuds over to Jisung. They put on their headphones and settled down to watch the next horror movie on their list. They lay on their stomachs watching the movie and Minho put his arm around Jisung pulling him close. Both relaxed into the skinship. They fell asleep cuddling and slept better than they had in a long time, secure in their friendship.
Love sneaks up on you. It isn't an instant thing. There can be attraction at first sight but love takes time to build. The best love builds from close friendships. It sneaks into your heart and you don't even realize that the feelings have grown and matured into love until it's too late. That night watching that movie, neither boy realized that their feelings were slowly changing. Neither one realized that their friendship had started to become more than that. All they knew right now was that the other was the closest person to them, the one who understood them; their best friend. Neither had any clue that the hooks had already begun attaching themselves into their hearts.